Human
Development I
Childhood and Adolescence
47-260 • Fall 2004
|
Instructor: |
Dr. Doreen Arcus |
Office Hours: |
MWF: 11:00-12:00 |
|
Office: |
Mahoney 7 |
|
or
by appointment |
|
Phone: |
978-934-4172 |
E-mail |
Doreen_Arcus@uml.edu |
|
Class place: |
Mahoney
207 |
Course web | http://faculty.uml.edu/darcus |
|
Class time:
|
MWF 9:00- 9:50 (Sec 201)
MWF 10:00-10:30 (Sec 202) |
“This
course begins with an overview of major theoretical perspectives, research
methods, and ethical issues in lifespan human development. Based on a chronological approach, it covers
prenatal development and birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and the
transition to adulthood.” (UML
Undergraduate Catalogue)
The purpose of the course is not to provide an explanation of any one individual’s life, but a critical overview of the basics of development to prepare students to be educated consumers of expert opinions and research findings in child and adolescent development long after they leave this class. Whether as teachers, doctors, psychologists, parents, policy makers, neighbors, aunts or uncles, school board members, or registered voters, students will have many opportunities in their lifetimes to consider issues relevant to this class.
The major goal
of this course is to provide an overview of the fundamental principles of human
development. Social, emotional, cognitive, and psychobiological development and relevant influences within and among these domains will be discussed. We will explore developmental themes (rather than specific milestones) in infancy, childhood, and adolescence both theoretically and empirically. Finally, we will examine major theories or ideas about development as well as the
data that allow us to evaluate some
aspects of these theories.
This
course is required for psychology majors and intended for any students who have
an interest in the development of children and/or adolescents. Students planning careers in health,
education, or public policy will find this course useful, as will students who
plan to have a family, to associate with families, or simply to participate in
a community that includes children and adolescents. In other words, this course is intended for a broad range of
students and interests.
Prerequisites
A
course in General Psychology is a prerequisite/co-requisite for enrollment in
this class. In other words: if you are not currently enrolled
in 47.101 General Psychology, or you haven't already successfully completed an
introductory psychology college course, you should not be in this class.
When you
have completed this class, you should be able to:
¨
Describe major physical, social, and cognitive changes from
infancy through adolescence and the contributions of maturity and socialization
to these developmental changes.
¨
Identify major empirical studies in child or adolescent
development and the conclusions they support
¨
Compare and contrast major theoretical perspectives in
developmental psychology with reference to specific developmental tasks and
achievements.
¨
Describe the bidirectionality of influences between
individual and environment.
¨
Identify examples of homogeneous and heterogeneous continuity
in development.
¨
Explain the major methods of study in human development, and
critique each of these by identifying their strengths and limitations.
¨
Distinguish among theory, data, cultural convention, and
“expert” opinion as they apply to ideas about child development.
¨
Identify some of the multilevel contexts and systems (e.g.,
family, community, culture, time) in which development unfolds and the
potential contributions of those contexts to development.
¨
Write coherent answers to brief essay questions on each of
four exams, answering each part of the question concisely and accurately.
¨
Articulate a position on a controversial issue in child
development and summarize at least one piece of empirical evidence to support
that position.
These learning
objectives are focused on this course and its content. They also relate to the
broader goals of general education.
The
objectives and activities of this course will facilitate broader critical thinking
and communication skills that should assist you in your work across
disciplines. You should better able to
¨
Compare and contrast different approaches to solving a
problem.
¨
Identify the steps involved in composing answers to open
ended questions.
¨
Implement those steps by writing clear, well-organized
answers to open ended (short essay) questions.
¨
Identify the role that cultural assumptions and values play
in approaches to scientific and social issues.
¨
Identify the strengths and limitations of empirical
research.
¨
Think critically about advice to classes of persons (e.g.,
parents) about classes of problems (e.g., child rearing) when that advice
appears in the popular press or as “expert opinion.”
¨
Apply theory and empirical observations to real world
practice or observation.
Course Activities
Students
are expected to attend class, take careful notes, and read the text in a timely
fashion. Students are also expected to
participate actively in class by listening, asking questions, offering observations,
and contributing to discussions and small group exercises. Class time will be devoted primarily to
interactive lecture. Additional
activities are described below.
Class attendance. I do not record attendance, but I expect that students will attend class regularly and participate actively. It will be nearly impossible to pass exams without coming to class. Students who are unable to attend class are responsible for obtaining class notes from another student. Do not ask me for re-runs.
**Note that attendance for exams and for the debate is absolutely required. Students who have scheduled conflicts with exam dates must inform me in writing no later than one week prior to the exam date so that a make-up can be scheduled. Students who must miss an exam due to emergency must contact me prior to the exam and must bring written, verifiable documentation to me when they return to class. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a score of 0 (zero) for that exam.**
The book. Read the book. Read it early and often--read it once before
the class during which we will discuss the particular section, even if you skim
it, and then read it again after we have discussed it in class and this time
read it carefully. Then read it again before taking online quizzes and
again before exams. It will be nearly impossible to pass exams without
reading the book.
Fabes,
R. & Martin, C.L. (2003). Exploring Child Development, 2nd
edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
“Fabes
and Martin” is the only required text for the course. Additional materials, including chapter outlines, self quizzes,
flashcards, relevant news, web links, and frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)
are available on the website:
http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_fabes_exploring_2
The
web. We will be
using the internet extensively in this course as an electronic binder of
sorts. Relevant class information, directions,
suggestions for further reading, and other information to be determined as the
need arises will be posted regularly.
The basic class web site should be complete during the second week of
classes, but items will be added as the semester goes on. Our class web site is located on my course
web page:
From there
just follow the links. Note that the
home page contains my contact information as well as useful campus links. You do not need a password.
It is not required that you own a computer with high-speed internet access for this class, though it certainly makes your life easier. Remember that you can have such access through the UMass Lowell libraries and drop in computer labs at the Centers for Learning. Use them—they are open every day, often late. Your own town public library will be a good source too if you commute. Especially if you do not have easy access to a computer with internet connections, make sure to print pages so that you have the information when you leave to go home.
Online Quizzes Students are required to take chapter quizzes on the text website. Because this is a learning tool, I will not count your quiz grades, but will count completion of the quizzes.
To access the online quizzes, go to the text's companion website as listed above or click here) and then link to the appropriate chapter. Chapter links are identified by number in the pull down menu (Jump to...) at the top and listed by title of the chapter on the body of the page (scroll down). Once you get to the correct chapter, then click on Multiple Choice on the side bar. That will take you to the multiple choice online quiz.
When you complete the online quiz and submit it for scoring, you have the option to mail the completed quiz to yourself, your instructor, and your TA. For credit, please mail the quiz to Ioana Unda Crisan, the TA (teaching assistant) for this course at the following address:
Unda_Crisan@student.uml.edu Note that there is an underscore in Unda_Crisan
Consult the course website
schedule for dates
due.
The Debates The debate requires that the students obtain knowledge,
comprehend it, and apply it to current controversies in child development. The follow up assignment further requires
that students analyze and synthesize the information presented in the debate to
formulate their own evaluation of the issue.
The Debate takes place as follows:
¨
Students will participate in selection of a topics guided by
instructor. Instructions will be posted
on our class web site, including a description of points to be awarded for the
level of evidence cited during the debate.
¨
Half of the students will select pro or con side; remaining
half will be audience. Roles will
switch for a second debate.
¨
Prior to the debate, each student will locate empirical
evidence to support the position he or she has chosen.
¨
During the debate, each student will present one piece of
empirical evidence in support of his or her position; con first, pro second,
exchange third, audience participation fourth.
Instructor will write authors and dates of studies on the board to
facilitate note taking.
¨
Next class meeting will be debriefing in which the
instructor summarizes debate points in interactive lecture-discussion format.
¨
Students participating in debate will turn in reaction
papers two class meetings later.
Students in audience may turn in papers for extra credit. Papers will be 2-4 typed pages,
providing a summary of material presented during the debates, a discussion of
any limitations or strengths of the research, an evaluation of the weight of
the evidence, and the student’s final assessment the issue.
Assessment is similar for debate and
reaction paper. Debate presenters are awarded;
¨
5 points for summarizing in
their own words a pertinent empirical study from a peer reviewed journal,
or data from a reputable (US government, scholarly society) internet source
¨
4 points for summarizing a pertinent article that is not
empirical but comes from a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal or professional
organizations web site. This includes
theoretical perspectives and invited editorials.
¨
3 points for a secondary source reporting the results of an
empirical study, including articles in professional magazines and newsletters
or certain media from the popular press (New York Times; Economist; others with
approval).
¨
2 points for expert opinion
¨
1 point for a clear, logical argument based on experience or
some other outside source not identified above
¨
0 points for a non-excused absence or failing to provide
anything more than unsupported opinion
Points may
be modified depending on the quality or quantity of the presentation. Do not read to the class! Put your points
in your own words so that we know you understand what you have read.
Prepare in advance and talk to me if you are struggling with parts of research
articles. Failure to put things in one’s own words or
be able to answer simple questions of clarification will result in a point decrease. Debaters who bring in several points of
evidence may accumulate extra credit, but not in excess of one additional point
for the level of data.
Reaction
papers will be graded for even-handed summaries of the presentations, analysis
of strengths and limitations, and synthesis of evidence into coherent
conclusion. They will be awarded:
¨
5 points for summarizing data from both sides, identifying
strengths and limitations, and providing a coherent conclusion reflecting
synthesis of the material
¨
4 points for including the features listed above, but for
presenting weaker and less complete treatment
¨
3 points for omitting one major portion of the criteria
listed in 5 point description above
¨
2 points for omitting two of the criteria listed in the 5 point
description
¨
1 point for opinion for omitting all three criteria, but at
least referring to one source of objective evidence to support opinion
¨
0 points for unsupported opinion
Students may attend Psychology Colloquia or
view appropriate Colloquia videotapes at O’Leary Library or online.
This activity requires a reaction paper summarizing the talk for extra
credit.
Students may also participate field placements over the semester or in Separate
is Still Not Equal: Students with Disabilities Continue the Struggle,
a community workshop to be held on campus 12/8.
Additional opportunities
involve detailed observations of children and a written summary of the
observation as it relates to theoretical or empirical aspects of the course (to
be announced). More information here.
Assessment
&
Grades
Two
methods of assessment linked to specific learning strategies are outlined in
the previous section. In addition there
will be four scheduled exams and a comprehensive final, each consisting of both
multiple choice and short answer questions.
· Multiple choice questions permit students to gain credit for
recognition memory in description and application.
·
Short answer questions require recall and permit us to
examine student’s ability to demonstrate knowledge at several levels: knowledge
(“state”), comprehension (“explain”), analysis (“compare and contrast”),
synthesis (“apply to”), and evaluation (“critique”).
Student
performance on exams may be informative. Please come to office hours
if you have questions about how you might improve your exam performance. Sometimes the difference between scores on
multiple choice and short answer portions of the exam can be revealing and
inform the type of advice to give students in need about study and test taking
strategies.
I do not grade “on a curve.” I will award as many A’s as are earned (or as many F’s, but who wants to go there?). I use deciles for grade equivalents on exams (90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D and below 60=F).
Final grades will be based on exam performance (70% comprised of 10% each hourly exam and 25% final exam), on debate participation and summary (20%) and on required non-graded assignments, general participation, and active engagement in the classroom (10%).